Aiming device for ordnance.



K.VLLER.

AIMING DEVICE FOR ORDNANGE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1908.

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KARL VLLER, OF DUSSELDORF, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO RHEINISCHE METALL- WAAREN- UND MASCHINENFABRIK, 0F DUSSELDORF-DERENDORF, GERMANY.

AIMINGr DEVICE FOR ORDNANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

Application led August 10, 1908. Serial No. 447,811.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL VLLER, engineer, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at 17 Jlicherstrasse, Dusseldorf, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aiming Devices for Ordnance; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appeartains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an aiming device for ordnance, particularly for guns firing at high elevations, which consists of a suitable combination of the known elevating arc with a sighting device such as an aiming circle or a parorama telescope. In devices of this kind hitherto used, when it was necessary to adjust the training of the gun while the latter was at high elevation, the gun barrel had to be elevated so far that the target could be sighted over the rear sight of the auxiliary sighting device and a fore-sight xed on the barrel of the gun. When the lateral deviation of the gun had to be determined by means of the aiming circle, the gun barrel had to be lowered into the horizontal position because the inclined position of the aiming circle led to errors of aim.

By the present invention the aiming of the gun is essentially simplified in such cases by arranging on an elevating arc a carriage which carries an aiming circle or a panorama telescope, the circle or telescope being rotatable around a vertical axis in each position of the gun. Provision is also made for compensating for the land angle or inclination of the ground in the direction of the ring axis of the gun. Owing to this arrangement the elevating and lowering of the gun barrel are rendered unnecssary, since the sighting device permits an auxiliary object to be sighted, and owing to the permanently vertical position of the axis of rotation of the sighting device errors of aim are prevented.

Leveling devices with a sighting device adapted to be turned on an axis which is always vertical, are indeed known, but the arrangement according to this invention differs from such known devices in that it comprises an aiming circle and a quadrant of known kind so combined together that, in aiming, the gun barrel need not be brought back into the horizontal position.

. practical embodiment of the invention 1s illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation showing the gun barrel in horizontal position; Fig. 2 is an end View, partly in section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, illustrating a method of securing the elevation arc to the gun barrel; Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. l, the carriage having been removed; and Fig. l illustrates a typical method of graduating the elevation arc.

Referring to the drawings, the elevation arc b is secured to the gun barrel a by means of a dove tail base slidably fitting into a dove tail groove in the rear end of the gun barrel, as shown at b in Fig. 2. A carriage upon which is mounted the sighting mechanism comprises an upper part c2 and a lower part c', said lower part embracing the elevation arc b and being movable over said arc by means of a worm and worm wheel adjustment d. In order to indicate the elevation, the upper side of the arc may be provided with a graduated scale b2, such as that shown in Fig. 4. The upper part or arm c2 carries a level e, the arm extending at right angles to the level; and it also carries ka sighting device which in this instance is a panorama telescope of which the eye-piece n is iixed while the objective 0 at the upper end of the telescope can be turned on a vertical axis by suitable worm gear mechanism indicated at p, so that at high elevations of the gun it is possible to sight an auxiliary lateral object.

The upper and lower parts c2 and c of the carriage are so connected together that the upper part can turn relatively to the lower part about a horizontal axis at right angles to the axis of the gun barrel. A worm gear c3 prevents accidental relative movement of the two parts and renders possible exact adjustment with the aid of the scale c4 to compensate for the inclination of the ground. By this means, the angle of land can be laid off on the scale c4 and then the angle of elevation can be laid off on the scale carried by the'arc b, the resultant or sum of the angles of land and of elevation giving the true angle of sight when the` gun is brought to such an inclination that the level shows the carriage to be in a vertical position.

When the elevation is slight the sighting device can be turned directly on the target as shown in Fig. 1. At greater elevations the sighting device is turned on to an object to one side of the target and the gun trained with reference thereto. Errors in training the gun are rendered impossible, since the axis on which the sighting device turns is always vertical, it being assumed that the trunnions are horizontal, as is usually the case where a sight of this kind is employed, since under the usual conditions of high angle firing and indirect pointing there is time for leveling the gun carriage so as to bring the trunnions level before commencing to fire.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

l. The combination, with a gun barrel, an elevation arc fixed thereto, a two part carriage mounted to move over the arc, the one part provided with means to indicate the angle of elevation, a level carried by the second part, the two parts pivoted for relative adjustment on a horizontal axis at right angles to the barrel and provided with a scale to indicate the angle of land, the second part having an arm extending at right angles to the level, and sighting mechanism carried by the arm.

2. The combination, with a gun barrel, an elevation arc fixed thereto and provided with a scale, a two part carriage mounted to move over the arc, the one part arranged to indicate on the said scale the angle of elevation, a level carried by the second part, the two parts pivoted for relative adjustment on a horizontal axis at right angles to the barrel and provided with a scale to indicate the angle of the land, the second part having an arinwextending,aturight angles to the` telepe SghiiPF- level, and aV ried bywtfearm.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

KARL VOLLER. l/Vitnesses:

ERNEST H. L. MUMMENHOFF, OTTO W. HELLMRICH.

copie: of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratents, Washington, D. C. 

